ing flat on their backs, with the soft
brown moustache or curly brown hair contrasting terribly with the grey
hue of approaching death.

In one of the beds we found the friend of Nicholas.

He was quite a youth, not badly wounded, and received us with
enthusiasm.

"My dear Nicholas," he said, in reply to a word of condolence about the
failure of the expedition, "you misunderstand the whole matter.
Doubtless it did not succeed, but that was no fault of ours, and it was
a glorious attempt. Come, I will relate it. Does your friend speak
Russian?"

"He at all events understands it," said I.

On this assurance the youth raised his hand to his bandaged brow as if
to recall events, and then related the incident, of which the following
is the substance.

While the Russians were actively engaged in preparing to cross the
Danube at a part where the river is full of small islands, the Turks
sent monitors and gunboats to interrupt the operations. The Russians
had no vessels capable of facing the huge ironclads of the enemy. Of
the ten small boats at the place, eight were engaged in laying torpedoes
in the river to protect the works, and two were detailed to watch the
enemy. While they were all busily at work, the watchers in a boat named
the _Schootka_ heard the sound of an approaching steamer, and soon after
descried a Turkish gunboat steaming up the river. Out went the little
_Schootka_ like a wasp, with a deadly torpedo at the end of her spar.
The gun-boat saw and sought to evade her, put on full steam and hugged
the Turkish shore, where some hundreds of Circassian riflemen kept up an
incessant fire on the Russian boat. It was hit, and its commander
wounded, but the crew and the second in command resolved to carry out
the attack. The _Schootka_ increased her speed, and, to the
consternation of the Turks, succeeded in touching the gun-boat just
behind the paddle-boxes, but the torpedo refused to explode, and the
_Schootka_ was compelled to haul off, and make for shelter under a heavy
fire from the gun-boat and the Circassian riflemen, which quite riddled
her. While she was making off a second Turkish gun-boat hove in sight.
The _Schootka_ had still another torpedo on board, one on the Harvey
principle. This torpedo may be described as a somewhat square and flat
case, charged with an explosive compound. When used it is thrown into
the sea and runs through the water on its edge, being held in that
position by a r